Panic exit lock



J. o. SO EMER PANIC EXIT LOCK Filed Jan. 27, 1927 April 29, 1930.

Patented Apr. 29, 1930 r Flor.

JOHN OTTO SOEMER,,OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY PANIC EXIT LOCK Application filed. January 27, 1927. Serial No. 163,971.

The present invention relates to locks, and more particularly to panic exit locks designed to permit the invariable opening of an exit door from Within but to permit opening of the door from without only when desired.

The purpose and object of the present invent-ion is to provide a relatively simple and compact mechanism which permits the door to be locked in order to prevent opening from without except by authorized persons, but which invariably permits opening of the door from within through pressure exerted upon a suitable instrumentality.

With this and other objects in view, the various features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in 2 the art from the following description. In

the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention,

Fig. 1 represents a section in elevation of the improved form of lock applied to a door; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the lock with the cover of the housing removed and a portion or" the mechanism shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a detail illustrating a cross-section of the lock upon the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail illustrating the locking dog in operative position; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating the locking dog in inoperative position.

The mechanism shown in the illustrated as embodiment of the invention comprises essentially a latch bolt sliding transversely of the housing, a tumbler for retracting the latch bolt operated from without the door, and a rocking dog for retracting the latch bolt operated from within the door. The mechanisms operating the door respectively from within and without are entirely independent in their operation, and the mechanism for retracting thebolt from without may be rendered inoperative without affecting the operation of the inner retracting mechanism. To this end, the rocking abutment, connected with the instrum'entality on the outer side of the door, may be locked against movement by a suitable locking dog, which can only be released by insertion of a properly designed key in a lock located on the outer side oi the door. Upon insertion and turning of the key, the locking dog may be turned to the inoperative position, and while in this posi tion the door may be opened from without by rocking the tumbler through a knob or similar instrumentality.

Referring more specifically to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the lock comprises a housing 10 within which is pivoted a locking latch 12, designed to engage in a metal strike 14 mounted in the door jamb. The latch is pivoted upon trunnions 16 and is connected with a sliding latch bolt 20, which is provided with an abutment 22 upon the opposite end. The latch slides freely in a slot 24 formed in a stationary abutment 26 projecting from the housing, and is normally maintained in an operative orlocking position'by a spring 28, as indicatedmore particularly in Fig. 3. Release 01": the latch bolt is accomplished by engagement with either side of the abutment. To this end, the abutment is engaged at one side by the lower end of a swinging arm 30, which in turn is operated by a rocking tumbler 32 which is connected with a knob 34 on the outside of the door through a squared spindle 36. It will beevident that with this construction turning of the knob in eith r direction oscillates the arm 30 in a manner to release the latch bolt. The opposite side ofthe abutment 22 is engaged by a rocking dog 88, pivoted within the housing at 40 and actuated by a finger 42, projecting inwardly from a releasing member 44, tulcrumed in the housing at 46. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the releasing member comprises essentially a bar 48 extending transversely of the door and designed to oscillate the rock'- ing dog in a manner to release the latch upon outward pressure exerted against the bar. "It will be evident that with this construction the mechanisms for releasing the latch from within and without the door are entirely separate and independent in their operation.

The mechanism for releasing the latch bolt rom without the door may be locked or rendered inoperative in a simple and unique 7 to release the latch is prevented.

manner. To this end a locking arm is fulcrumed Within the housing at 52, and is provided with a downturned end 54 forming a shoulder, which engages With a corresponding shoulder 56 formed on the arm 30. l/V hen the locking arm 50 is maintained in the position shown in Fig. 2, movement of the arm The retention of the arm 50 in operative position is accomplished by a rotating eccentric 60 which is positioned above the arm and is designed to engage with the upper portion or" the arm in one position and to beelevated thereabove in a second or inoperative position, the two positions of the eccentric being illustrated in Figs. i and 5, respectively. The eccentric is connected for operation with a tumbler lock 62, conveniently mounted on the outer side of the door and designed to prevent actuation of the spindle 64- except upon insertion of a suitable operating instrumentality. The lock may be of any usual type, and as these locks ordinarily require a complete rotation of the cylinder for the movement from locking to unlocking position, or

vice versa, mechanism is provided by virtue of which a complete rotation of the spindle 64 causes a rotation through an arc of 180 degrees of the eccentric 60. To this end the inner end of the spindle 64 is provided with a connector member 66 which has two oppositely disposed shoulders 68 designed to engage with a pin 70 mounted upon the eccentric 66, and cause rotation of the eccentric with the connector member at a predetermined point in the rotation of the connector member. As will be evident, rotation of the connector member in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig.4, does not initially impart any motion to the eccentric 60. After a rotation of the connector member through an arc of 180 degrees, engagement between the shoulder 68 and pin causes the two members to rotate as one, so that through the remaining 180 degrees the eccentric 60 and connector member 66 are operated together. This rotation of the eccentric through 180 degrees is limited by engagement of a pin 67 with abutments 71 and 72, which control the operative and inoperative positions of the eccentric, respectively. It will be evident that this construction provides a simple and convenient mechanism by virtue of which operation of the tumbler lock in the usual manner accomplishes the desired movement of the looking eccentric from operative to IIIOPBIatlVG' position, or vice versa.

What is claimed is:

1. A look comprising a latch, separate and independent mechanisms for retracting the latch from within and without a door, a lock mounted upon the outside of the door, connections between the lock and the latch-retracting mechanism from without the door '9' to render the outer retracting mechanism indoor for operating the latch retracting means when permitted by the locking arm, means inside the door for operating the latch re tracting means irrespective of the position of the locking arm, a lock on the outside of the door having a spindle, a rotary eccentric for holding the locking arm in looking position, a connector member on the spindle, and pins on the eccentric adapted to be engaged bythe connector member to turn the eccentric from looking to unlocking position and vice versa on a complete rotation of the spindle.

3. A lock comprising a latch, latch retracting means, a knob, a locking arm for thelatch retracting means to prevent operation of the latter by the knob, a lock having a spindle,

a rotary eccentric to prevent release of the locking arm when the lock is in locking position, the eccentric being freely mounted on the spindle, a connector member secured to the spindle, means on the eccentric to be engaged by the connector member to turn the eccentric less than a full revolution from locking to unlocking position and vice versa upon a complete rotation of the spindle, and stops for limiting the movement of the eccentric.

' JOHN OTTO SOEMER. 

